


Bat Out of Hell

by werewolfsaz



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Assault, BAMF!Steve, Billy's dad is a dick, Boys In Love, Child Abuse, Established Relationship, Gay Billy Hargrove, Gay Steve Harrington, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, I'm sure I've missed tags somewhere, M/M, Protective!Steve, Relationship is known to Party, Steve's bat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 00:03:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20000674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/werewolfsaz/pseuds/werewolfsaz
Summary: Steve bolted upright, hand grabbing for the bat as he flailed the covers off. It took a few seconds to realize that the ringing was still going, filling the silent house with its strident tones. The phone, it was just the phone. No monsters, no dead bodies, no panicked screams. Stumbling, panting, shaking, Steve staggered down the stairs, bat trailing from one hand."Hello?" he gasped, snatching the phone from its cradle, gaze catching on the clock that showed 2:48am. Shit, what was it? Was someone hurt? In danger? Were they back? "Hello?!" he snapped more urgently."Steve..."The voice was breathless, whisper soft and desperate but he knew it anyway."Max? What's wrong?"





	Bat Out of Hell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [taraburnett](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taraburnett/gifts), [imyoursandthatsitwhatever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/imyoursandthatsitwhatever/gifts).



> Hi all!  
> Ok, so I'm a bit nervous about this one. Normally I write fluff or smut or both. But I felt that I had to write this because, well, I was in a position like Billy's once upon a time, with an abusive father that had no problem smacking the crap out of his kids for no reason. I wish someone had saved me from him like this. And I love Billy because I empathize with him so I wanted to save him. Plus, badass Steve is amazing.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, please let me know what you think.  
> Enjoy!

They were coming, that noise they make scraping over Steve's ears like nails on a chalkboard, sending chills racing over his tired body. His arms were heavy, eyes blurry with exhaustion, chest hitching as he tried to drag in ragged breaths. Blood coated his hands, his arms, made the handle of the bat slippery as he struggled to lift it. There were bodies around him, some demodogs that had clearly felt the wrath of his bat. But the others... Nancy and Jonathan crumpled in a broken heap, Hopper and Joyce not far away, eyes staring blankly at him as blood oozed from all their wounds. The kids, screaming in pain and fear just behind him, pleading for Steve to save them, to make this not happening! It was coming, the biggest one yet, stalking through the corpses, fucked up petal like face opening as it screamed for their blood. Steve's ears were ringing, drowning out the kids screams, the monster's roars, louder and louder...

Steve bolted upright, hand grabbing for the bat as he flailed the covers off. It took a few seconds to realize that the ringing was still going, filling the silent house with its strident tones. The phone, it was just the phone. No monsters, no dead bodies, no panicked screams. Stumbling, panting, shaking, Steve staggered down the stairs, bat trailing from one hand.  
"Hello?" he gasped, snatching the phone from its cradle, gaze catching on the clock that showed 2:48am. Shit, what was it? Was someone hurt? In danger? Were they back? "Hello?!" he snapped more urgently.  
"Steve..."  
The voice was breathless, whisper soft and desperate but he knew it anyway.  
"Max? What's wrong?"

There was a beat of silence, the breathing on the line shallow and quick, then he heard other noises. There was a crash, splintering wood, a short scream of pain an the sound of a man's raised voice.  
"...THINK I WOULDN'T FIND OUT? YOU FUCKING FAGGOT! GET BACK HERE!"  
There was another crash, a woman's voice pleading for someone to stop and Max's soft, frightened gasps.  
"He's gonna kill him," she whispered in a trembling voice. "Please, Steve, help him..."  
Then another voice rose, a voice Steve knew so well that it usually made him go warm and soft with just one word. Now, red rage crashed into Steve like a tidal wave at the sound of Billy's pained cry.  
"Dad... Please..."

"Get your mom and get out of that house," Steve told Max firmly, straightening up as the anger snapped through him.  
"Steve..."  
"Now, Max. I'm coming."  
He dropped the phone, shoved on the first shoes he found and tightened his grip on the bat as he rushed out the door. The Beemer screamed out of the drive, smoke pouring from the spinning tires as he stamped on the gas. There were no thoughts in Steve's head, no rational plans, only the echo of Max's fear, the pleading tone of Billy's voice, Neil Hargrove's words. So, he knew about them. Or that Billy had been with a guy at least. It shouldn't have been like this way. It should have bee a relief, their parting shot as they drove to California next month, Billy's parting words to the monster that terrorized him every day.

"Fuck you, Neil, I'm off to live with my boyfriend, Steve Harrington, and be happy."  
Billy had practiced that exact speech in the Camaro just the other night as they sat smoking before heading home from their date. He'd grinned at Steve, so bright and happy, so excited, that Steve had been blinded by his light, by his love for the blond next to him. He'd crawled into Billy's lap, kissed him breathless, hands in those sunlight curls as he just soaked into that light.  
"Sounds good to me, babe," he breathed against Billy's perfect lips. "And we'll flip him the fucking bird as we drive away."  
"Like your thinking, pretty boy," Billy grinned, nipping at Steve's lips before kissing him again, treacle slow and sweet.

But now Neil knew, had found out some how that Billy had been sneaking around with a boy. How had he found out? Had someone seen them and told him? They'd been so careful! Hiding away in Steve's big empty house, going towns away for dates, being constantly alert for any little slip up that could expose them. Steve had hated it, had wanted to show Billy off, to show all those simpering, handsy fucking girls that he had snagged the hottest guy in Hawkins. When Steve had told Billy he wanted them to be open, his boyfriend had reluctantly explained how his dad lost his temper a lot and took it out on Billy. Steve, sick with horror, remembered every bruise, every cut lip, red mark on a cheek or chest, and knew that keeping them a secret for now would keep Billy safe. Steve would do anything for Billy to be safe.

The Beemer's brakes screeched as Steve stomped on them, skidding to a smoking halt outside the Hargrove house. All the lights were on, Max and Susan were huddled together on the porch, chalk pale, tear streaked as Steve threw the door open and stormed towards the house, bat hanging from his hand as if he'd forgotten he had it. He was so angry, blood boiling with such rage that he felt it pounding his temples, like he should split apart and become just a human shaped inferno of fury.  
"Steve..." Max called softly, relieved to see him even though she was still scared.  
"Get in the car," he said, voice sounding far away in his own ears. "I'm getting your brother."  
The girl stared at him for a moment and must have seen something in his normally relaxed gaze that convinced her to move. Max took her mom's hand and hustled to the Beemer, telling Susan that Steve would fix this, just trust her.

Steve paused at the door, stretching his neck where the muscles had bunched painfully tight. How many times had he thought about this? About marching up to Neil fucking Hargrove and knocking his fucking teeth out, telling him that if he ever so much as looked at Billy again, Steve would shove this damn nail bat so far down his throat he'd be pissing rust for the rest of his life. He hadn't, not even when he was cleaning blood from Billy's beautiful face, bandaging his gorgeous torso, dabbing witch hazel on the bruises on each sculpted limb. He had respected Billy's pleas to just let it go, not long now, soon they'd be gone and that fucker would be just a horrible memory. But the fear in Max's voice, the pain in Billy's begging cry, it had destroyed those constraints.

Soft, wheezing murmurs were coming from deeper in the house, over-ridden by Neil's harsh voice.  
"Oh this is it for you, boy," he snarled, leading Steve to him. "I know exactly where to send you. Those conversion camps will get this disease out of you, cure you of this shit once and for all!"  
There was a thud, meaty and sickening, followed by a groan of agony. Red blooms of rage blossomed in Steve's vision as he hurried forward, bat twirling in his hands, effortless and familiar.  
"I won't... Stop loving him... Even if you send...Me away," Billy's voice was thick with pain, fueling Steve's anger even more.  
"Love? LOVE?!" Neil screamed, another meaty thud punctuating the words. "You don't know how to love you sick, disgusting..."  
Steve swung.

He didn't care if he took the fucker's head off, if the razor sharp nails sliced through his fucking skull and splashed his child beating brains against the wall. He'd kill him before he let him hurt Billy anymore, fuck the consequences. The bat, whistling ominously, barely misses doing just that. Several jagged points raked across Neil's scalp, making him cry out in pain and surprise, staggering back from where he was looming over Billy's hunched body. Steve, surrounded by red mist,skin burning and taut with savage rage, swung again, driving the older man back further. Neil stumbled into another room, trying to slam the door to stop that cruel bat but Steve, fueled by almost insane fury, smashed the flimsy wood aside, stalking towards the bleeding man. He cast a quick glance at Billy, icy shards piercing his heart at the state of his beautiful lover.  
"You... Sick... Fuck!" Steve spat, bat whistling again as it slashed towards Neil who was trying to dodge around him. The anger was at fever pitch now, every movement feeling as if it should crackle and spark. 

"He's the sick one!" Neil yelled, one hand pressed to his bleeding head, the other pointing at Billy. Steve noted that there was blood on that hand, Billy's blood. The bat moved again, as if it was alive and looking to strike. "And you! You've been corrupted by his sickness! You need help..."  
Steve rushed forward, slamming Neil into the wall hard enough to make the whole house shake, the plain wooden part of the bat pressed tight against his throat, just this side of crushing his larynx.  
"No," Steve grated, mouth full of a hot, metallic taste that reminded him of blood. "No, you son of a bitch, he's not sick. You are. What kind of parent would raise their hand to their own child like you have? What kind of human being would do the things you've done to him every fucking day since his mom died?"

Neil struggled, tried to push Steve back, to release the pressure on his neck but Steve seemed to have turned into solid steel. There was the wail of a siren approaching but it didn't seem to reach Steve, his focus locked solely on Neil Hargrove, on keeping him away from Billy, Max and Susan. Neil kicked out, boot connecting with Steve's shin hard enough to make the boy grunt and, instead of releasing the pressure on his throat, made him lean more heavily against it. Neil began to choke, black clouds gathering at the corners of his vision.  
"Baby, let him go."  
The crushing force suddenly eased at the soft words, letting Neil sag to the ground, coughing and wheezing. Through blurred eyes he saw Billy had somehow managed to get to his feet and had moved across to Steve, one arm wrapped around his own middle, the other drawing the brunet away.

"Billy... Oh Billy, babe..." Steve was murmuring, all the rage suddenly washed away in the face of his boyfriend's need for him. Gently, Steve got an arm around Billy's waist, supporting him as he slumped. "I got you, babe, come on. Shhh, it's okay, Max and Susan are in the car. We need to get you to a hospital."  
Steve pressed a tender, loving kiss to Billy's sweat and blood matted curls, helping him towards the door. The siren was louder now, just outside, though it seemed unimportant. There was a thump of fast moving feet from behind them, Billy tried to shout a warning, then Neil Hargove arrived again, lashing out at the boys with animistic rage. 

Later, Steve would consider it only luck that the blow didn't kill the older man. At the sound of Billy's panic, the fury had flowed back into Steve in a scalding wave. He hadn't felt the blows that landed on his back, shoulders, legs or face as he shielded Billy with his own body. He just felt the arm that still held the bat lift and move, slow as molasses, to bring the narrow butt end of the bat hard against Neil's temple. Billy's father dropped like a rock, eyes rolling back in his skull, blood oozing from the gash the blow had caused. There was a tense moment where Steve wondered if he had killed him then his chest rose and fell, easing some of the fear in Steve's chest.  
"Fuck you, Neil, I'm off to live with my boyfriend, Billy Hargrove, and be happy," Steve spat, dropping the bat so he could hold Billy more firmly to him. He grinned as Billy flipped the bird at his dad's unconscious form.

*** One Month Later***

"You don't have to leave now," Max whined, standing in Billy's way as he tried to load the last bag in the trunk. "He's in jail, he's not coming back..."  
With a huff, Billy dropped the bag and pulled his sister into his arms, hugging her tight.  
"Listen, shitbird, you know you can come and visit us whenever you want. We'll be back soon for Thanksgiving because you and the rest of the nerd squad are family, okay?"  
Max blinked up at him, eyes tracing the barely healing scars, the fading bruises before being pulled to his blue, blue eyes, smiling down at her with the kind of fondness she would never have seen six months ago. She knew what had caused this sudden mellowing of her previously angry brother, had seen it long before that night. Steve. 

He had taken Billy in, wrapped up his harsh edges, wild temper and fight never flight instincts, softened them with love and understanding and gentleness, had showed Billy that he wasn't alone, that he would never be alone. That he had a family in the Party, with Hopper and Joyce, even with Nancy and Jonathan, that it was alright for him to be openly affectionate with Steve when they were around them because this little family would always, always fight for him. Slowly, a new Billy had emerged, a kinder Billy that smiled more, laughed more, was easier to be around. But this had also lead to a slip on his part.

Some innocuous statement about being in love had slipped out and Neil, always on the look out for something to show that his son was really the faggot he suspected, had lost his shit. Instead of backing down, trying to back track and make excuses, Billy had just lifted his chin, looked his dad in the eye and told him, yes, he had a boyfriend in town so fuck you. The beating had been more brutal than any Max had seen or heard before. She knew Neil would kill Billy this time, not even her mom could get Neil to calm down. Acting on instinct, knowing that Steve would do anything to protect his family, she called him. 

Now they were getting ready to leave, to drive to California to start their life together away from Hawkins and all the shit that surrounded it. They promised to come back as often as they could, to call and write all the time. She didn't want them to go, none of the Party did. Dustin had gone into complete hysterics, raving about Steve abandoning him when he needed him most. It had taken all of Steve's patience to get him to calm down, promising that he was always just a call away, that Dustin could come and visit during the holidays much to Billy's very vocal annoyance.  
"Hey, what's Hopper doing here?" Steve's voice came from behind the siblings where he was just carrying the last of the food from Susan out of the house. The police chief stepped out of his truck, grabbed something and ambled towards them, pulling his sunglasses off as he pushed his hat back.

"Hey, you boys all ready?" he asked by way of greeting.  
"Just about," Billy nodded, squeezing Max again before letting go to scoop up the bag he'd dropped.  
"Didn't expect to see you before we left," Steve smiled, handing the Tupperware to Max and asking her to put it in the back seat. "What's up?"  
"Wanted to make sure you were both okay, had everything and were sure you wanted to leave," Hopper replied with a shrug. Billy stepped next to Steve, tangling their fingers together as he smiled back at the cop.  
"Yeah, I think so and hell yes," he replied for them both, feeling Steve squeeze back.  
"Well then, this is a going away present. Try not to use it unless you really have to." Hopper tossed a long, brown paper wrapped shape to Steve.

Quickly, he tore the paper away and stared, in something like fascinated horror, at the nail studded bat. He had last seen it at Neil's trial when the defense had tried to make Steve out to be the psycho. Thankfully, Max's testimony, backed by Susan's, showed that Steve had only used the bat in defense of them and Billy, though the question of why he had it in the first place had been a tricky one. They had gotten around it by saying that there had been a few cases of rabid animals in the area so you could never be too careful. Steve thought it had been destroyed after the trial, once Neil was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and historic child abuse. Now, it lay in his hands with words etched into the wood below the nails.  
"You never know when you might need one," Hopper said quietly as Billy and Steve ran their fingers over 'OUT OF HELL' glowing bright in the sun.  
"Thanks, Hopper, really," Steve murmured. "I hope I never need to use it like that again."

The cop nodded, clapped them both on the shoulder then left without another word. There were more hugs from Max and Susan, more promises that they would call as soon as they got settled, they would be back for Thanksgiving, they would write. Max cried and so did Billy, just a little, and Steve joined in because, well, he could. Then they bundled into the Camaro, the engine roaring as Billy gunned it and peeled out onto the road. Steve took his hand, raised it to his lips and kissed the scarred knuckles.  
"I love you," Billy said, proud and strong as the sun flashed on his golden curls, cornflower blue eyes and wide smile.  
"I love you right back," Steve beamed, brunet locks blowing in the breeze, chocolate eyes alive with joy. With a whoop, they both stuck their arms out the window, flipping the bird as the Camaro raced away from the past and into the future.


End file.
